Random Thoughts on New Year's Day

Wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy 2011. Here are some random thoughts to ring in the new year:

- The pace of technology continues to amaze me. It seems that the folks at Apple and Google are some of the brightest, but whoever invented Angry Birds might be the smartest of them all.

- The iPad was definitely my favorite gadget of 2010, but it does so many things, that calling it a gadget is severely selling it short.

- 2010 included the birth of my niece Addison, Sammy and Jen's wedding, my son's first steps, my daughter's ever expanding vocabulary, two fantasy baseball titles, and a new pool in the backyard among other amazing things. It was a great year all around. I have a feeling 2011 will be even better.

- The Giants are wildly disappointing and while they can still sneak in to the playoffs, they don't deserve it based on the last few weeks. The last time I was this convinced that they had to fire Tom Coughlin was three years ago. Yes, they won the Super Bowl that year.

- I have a ton of respect for Cliff Lee taking less money to play in Philadelphia. Granted $120m is nothing to laugh at, but he still left millions of dollars on the table and I think it's awesome.

- The Red Sox got a lot better this off season. A lot.

- How good is Blake Griffin? Is anyone else watching this guy? He looks like he is playing on an 8' rim against kids five years younger than him on the school playground.

- Any news on global warming? Seems pretty cold to me.

- We saw Black Swan with Natalie Portman tonight. Great movie, but my favorite Natalie Portman movie (other than the Star Wars prequels) is Beautiful Girls. If you haven't seen it, rent it immediately. That said, if she doesn't in an Oscar for this role, it's a crime.

- Bruce playing The Old Carousel House in Asbury Park as a promo for the new material on The Promise (Darkness outtakes) was VERY cool. The fact that I didn't get in is VERY uncool.

- The box set for the Darkness On The Edge of Town reissue might be the best thing that Bruce and company have ever put out. The DVD's are amazing and the packaging is wildly impressive. With excepts from his writing notebooks and video footage from rehearsals and the studio, this set really takes you inside the inner workings of how the record was made. Great stuff.

- I almost switched companies this year. During the process, I learned some things about myself. Luckily, they were all positive.

That's all for tonight. I will try to blog a little more often in the coming year. I don't really believe it resolutions, but let's just say I am going to try.

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive."

JN

October 1995

It wasn't until earlier this month that I realized that two "firsts" in my life occurred in the same month, October 1995. These two events turned out to be the gateway towards countless others, shaping the passions of my early adulthood. Fifteen years ago...I was 21 years old, a senior in college, with my whole adult life ahead of me.

October 4, 1995 - Game 2, Division Series, Yankees vs. Mariners @ Yankee Stadium

The Yankees had not been in the playoffs since 1981. As a seven year old, I was lucky enough to attend several games that postseason, but this was different. The Yankees had been denied by the strike in 1994, ending that shortened season with the best record in baseball. As the first wild card, the Yankees were providing Don Mattingly with a long overdue opportunity to play in the postseason.

Game 1 was the night before, but because it was Erev Yom Kippur, I didn't attend. I watched that game, a Yankee victory, with my grandmother in my parent's house. The next day, I attended Yom Kippur services, prayed for the Yankees, and then headed to The Bronx for break fast. Jared and I had two tickets in the first row in the loge (second level) and some college friends traveled with us, sitting elsewhere.

We were planning on breaking the fast with a pretzel and a beer, so we waited on line at the concession where we bumped in to my cousin Keith. I am pretty sure this was the first time Jared and Keith. So we broke the fast with Keith who was sitting in the same section, although a few rows back. Andy Benes vs. Andy Pettitte (a rookie) with the Yankees up 1-0 in the series.

The game can only be described as a classic. In the sixth inning, Donnie Baseball hit what would be the final home run of his career. With the Yankees down a run in the bottom of the 12th, Ruben Sierra hit a ball off the wall with two runners on. Jorge Posada would score the tying run, but Bernie Williams would get thrown out at the plate. I remember picking Jared up off the floor after that play. The pressure was intense.

A skinny reliever names Mariano Rivera would throw 3.1 scoreless innings giving up two hits and striking out five and in the bottom of the 15th inning, Jim Leyritz (The King) would hit a lazy fly ball to rightfield that carried over the wall for a two run home run to win the game. Mariano was the winning pitcher. Euphoria set in.

Unfortunately, euphoria didn't last long. The Yankees had announced that as soon as they clinched this series, tickets would go on sale the following morning at The Stadium. Remember, this was 1995 and there was no such thing as Ticketmaster.com. So we had the car packed for days...waiting to win a game and then go sleep out in The Bronx for ALCS tickets. The Yankees would lose Games 3 and 4 in Seattle setting up the deciding game in Seattle.

I remember watching the game in my townhouse at school with my friend Andy. We chose not to watch with a lot of people because the game was big. The biggest of our lives really to date. David Cone started and threw 147 pitches in 7.2 innings. He probably went an inning too long. The game went in to extra innings again and the Yankees went up one run in the top of the 11th off of Randy Johnson. However, Buck Showalter chose to stay with Jack McDowell in the bottom of the 11th instead of turning the game over to John Wetteland. Edgar Martinez won the game with a double...Ken Griffey Junior scored the winning run from first base and I remember Andy getting up and leaving without saying a word.

It took me a few weeks to unpack the car and I didn't watch another inning of baseball until 1996.

October 17, 1995 - The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, New Jersey

Bruce produced Joe Grushecky's album, American Babylon and was hitting the road to promote the album with Joe's band, The Houserockers. I scored tickets to two of the shows, The Stone Pony and the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. The night at The Pony would be my first time seeing Bruce in a bar setting and was only my eighth Bruce show.

I showed up around 4pm to wait on line and get a good spot inside. When I got there, I found out that I just missed Bruce by about 10 minutes! He was there for soundcheck, came outside, signed a few autographs and then took off. While I was disappointed, I was psyched to see Bruce for the first time at the legendary Stone Pony.

I don't remember the exact timing, but if I had to guess, they opened the doors around 6, the first band went on around 8 and it was FOREVER until Bruce took the stage. I was two or three people deep from the stage, hanging out with my Aunt Sandy. We couldn't move because it would be impossible to get back to our spots and it was HOT in the Pony. No air conditioning.

When Bruce finally joined Joe Grushecky on the stage, all the waiting was worth it. While they only played two Bruce songs, it was amazing seeing Bruce that close...having fun, singing back up, and ripping guitar solos. The feel of the crowd, the atmosphere, the music...it was perfect.

I knew that I needed to be in front again two nights later in Philly, but had a class so I couldn't get there that early. Luckily, I made friends with some women that didn't mind holding a spot in line for me if I promised to bring dinner. They were taking the day off and would be among the first on line. I kept up my end of the deal bringing a pizza and sharing with everyone in the front of the line. They kept their end as well, so when they opened the doors, we were among the first in. I positioned myself directly in front of where they would put Bruce's mic on the railing...no one in front of me.

Again, the power of the show was amazing. Bruce was really on fire. One of the Bruce songs played was Light of Day. In the middle of the song, Bruce queued the band to stop playing. The crowd went crazy. The band each picked up their drinks...soaking in the applause. Bruce was really hamming it up. He put down his beer...then picked it up again...the crowd all going crazy. He took a sip, tossed me the beer, and went back in to the song..."Well I got thrown out of work on the Kokomo." I caught the beer and downed the rest (I was thirsty).

A bouncer came over shortly thereafter and wanted to confiscate the bottle as the venue didn't allow bottles in the audience. When I explained that Bruce tossed it to me, he allowed me to keep it. After the show, I asked John Eddie (one of the opening bands) if he could take the bottle back and ask Bruce to sign it. He said he couldn't, but suggested I wait near the tour bus as Bruce was riding with the band.

I waited the near the tour bus. Bruce came out with Terry, carrying his own bang, but wasn't signing for anyone. I asked anyway..."Bruce, can you sign the beer bottle you tossed me?" He responded, "Sure...that I'll sign." He signed the Coors Light bottle, got on the bus, didn't sign anything else, and I had an amazing souvenir.

I have been to countless postseason games at Yankee Stadium since, including the World Series clinching games in 1996 and 1999...and the clincher in 2000 at Shea. I have seen Bruce over 140 more times since October 1995, including several at The Stone Pony, The Tradewinds, and other small venues. Looking back, I still can't believe it was the same month.

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive" BS

JN

Bonds, Clemens, and Rose

Roger Clemens won over 350 games, struck out more than 4600 batters, won a record seven Cy Young Awards, an MVP Award and is now under indictment for lying to Congress.

Barry Bonds own a record seven MVP Awards, is the career home run record holder with 761, is the career leader in walks and intentional walks, stole over 500 bases and is under indictment for lying to a grand jury.

Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb's career record for hits and finished with over 4200 hits, set career records for most at bats and games played, and was banned from baseball for lying about gambling on the game. He was later sent to jail for lying on his taxes.

These guys were the best. Bonds and Clemens dominated the game both before and after performance enhancing drugs. Rose was the ultimate competitor. As an outsider looking in, it seems that they all thought they were above the game. The rules didn't apply to them. Granted, no one thought the rules applied to them when it came to performance enhancing drugs, but Bonds and Clemens haven't admitted to anything and maintain that they are clean.

Do they think we are dumb? No. They probably have convinced themselves that they didn't do anything wrong. To be that good, you have to convince yourself that you are better than anyone else maybe even before you are. Clemens came in to the league and knew he could get out any hitter at any time. Similarly, Bonds knew he could hit anyone. Would they have been as good if they weren't as confident? No way!

So now they are both under indictment. Their Hall of Fame credentials, once beyond reproach, are under question. As an aside, both would have been first ballot Hall of Famers had they never used performance enhancing drugs based on the first parts of their respective careers. However, Bonds saw Sosa and McGwire getting all of the attention and knew he was better than they were. Clemens was getting run out of Boston and knew he had more in the tank.

Here's where Pete Rose comes in. He has the credibility to get these guys on the phone and offer some advice. If anyone knows the importance of coming clean and asking for forgiveness, it's Rose. He should have called them both and told them to learn from his mistake. However, we are now facing the possibility of the career hits leader, the career home run leader, and one of the best pitchers of our time NOT being in the Hall of Fame. I'm not saying if they came clean that they would be in, but they should be based on the body of work prior to the drugs. If it's not Pete Rose, maybe it should be Mark McGwire. He's back in the game (Cardinals hitting coach), and maybe, just maybe, that will make a difference in the way the writers vote.

I am rooting for Albert Pujols or Ryan Howard to hit 800 clean home runs. I hope Derek Jeter bounces back, finds a clean and legal fountain of youth and finishes with 4300 hits. I hope someone comes along to make us forget about Rocket and his seven Cy Youngs. However, with two small words, they could start the healing process that may allow them eventually to enter the Hall of Fame. "I'm sorry". Bonds doesn't seem to care...but Clemens sure done. Hopefully these guys figure it.

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive" BS

JN

The Voice and The Boss

By the time George Steinbrenner purchased the Yankees in 1973, Bob Sheppard was a fixture at The Stadium. "The Voice of God" was hired as the public address announcer in 1951 which happened to be Mickey Mantle's first year...and Joe DiMaggio's last. The year bridged two amazing eras in Yankee baseball and launched the career of man whose voice would fill The Stadium for 57 years to come. Mickey used to say that he got the chills every time Bob Sheppard announced his name...Sheppard said he got the chills announcing Mickey's name too.

Bob Sheppard's voice was deep and unique. He took his time. He wasn't there to play to the crowd. With proper pronunciation, class, and elegance, he announced to the crowd the batters, the pitchers, and any special announcements. Many have tried to imitate him over the years, including me. As a child, I would imagine hearing Bob Sheppard announce my name, "Now pitching for the Yankees, number 19, Jeremy Neuer, number 19". When Keith and Doug Rosen came back from Yankee fantasy camp a few years ago, I thought the fact that Bob Sheppard had recorded an intro for each camper was about the coolest thing I could imagine.

While he was also the announcer at Giants Stadium, Bob Sheppard will always be about Yankee Stadium for me...the original Yankee Stadium. I think it was somewhat fitting that he never announced a game in the New Stadium. While it's a great building, I am not sure if it's worthy of Sheppard's class. However, his voice will live on in recordings, including the one that announces The Captain before each home at bat, "Now batting for the Yankees, number 2, Derek Jeter, number 2." Last night's silent tribute...they played without an announcer...was truly fitting.

Paul O'Neill may have said it best. When they honored Sheppard with his own day at Yankee Stadium in 2000, O'Neill said, "“It’s the organ at church. Certain sounds and certain voices just belong in places. Obviously, his voice and Yankee Stadium have become one.”

During his first two decades owning the team, Bob Sheppard was one of the few Yankee employees that George Steinbrenner didn't fire. When George purchased the team in 1973, he famously said that he would leave the day-t0-day to the baseball people and he would stick to building ships. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

For much of the 70's and 80's...and even in to the 90's...George Steinbrenner didn't get it. He was about quick fixes and he should have patented the phrase, "You're fired". However, as I have said the past few days, he had a great "third act". Since he was reinstated to the game in the early 90's, he left most of the baseball decisions to the right people and while he still pushed them, his trigger finger was much more patient.

The Boss cared deeply about winning, the Yankees, and Yankee fans. He promised to put the best team on the field every year and did whatever he could to provide the fans with a winner. He wanted his teams to look a certain way, insisting on hair cuts and clean faces. He even once ordered Don Mattingly benched because his hair was too long.

Steinbrenner transcended baseball and became a pop culture figure. He was in beer commercials, spoofed on Seinfeld...the most successful sitcom of all time, and hosted Saturday Night Live. He was a tireless philanthropist, often insisting that his good deeds be anonymous as a stipulation of his generosity. When the emails started pouring in after his death, the one that stuck out was from a friend in Tampa. It read, "Tampa has lost its greatest citizen today". That says a lot about the man.

I met The Boss twice...once as a teenager and once in 1997. In 1997, I was standing in the tunnel leading from the field level to the exit in the bottom of the 9th of a game in May. The Yankees had won the World Series the previous October. The Yankees were down in the bottom of the 9th...so there I am...waiting to see if the Yankees can tie the game and I look to my right. There's The Boss. He's waiting to see if they can tie it up also and he's standing there with one security guard. I extended my hand and just said "thank you for everything last year". He shook my hand, smiled, and said simply "you're welcome". With that, Tim Raines hit a home run to tie the game. He left the tunnel...I assume back up to his box and I went back to my seat.

It's fitting that Steinbrenner died with the Yankees as the reigning World Series Champions and in first place. Being 36, the only Yankees I have known are the Steinbrenner Yankees. The Stadium is different now...and now so too will be the announcer and the owner. No one can replace Bob Sheppard or George Steinbrenner. I just hope that the new announcer does so with Sheppard's class in mind and the new owners continue to invest in the team and chase the World Series every year.

So...to The Voice of God...and The Boss...thank you for the memories.

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive." BS

JN

Blood Brothers

Ten years ago today, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band ended their 99-00 Reunion Tour at Madison Square Garden. It was the 10th night of a 10 night stand at The Garden. It was my 36th show of the tour and my ninth of the ten at The Garden. The only one I missed was the third show for my cousin Noel's wedding (Happy Anniversary Noel and Danielle).

Flynn McLean did a great job of recapping the show on Backstreets.com (http://www.backstreets.com/news.html), so I will skip that part. What I remember most 10 years later, both about the show and the tour, is the friendships. The friendships on stage, the friendships in the parking lots, the friendship at the shows, and the friendships on the road trips. There were a bunch on that tour as I followed the band everywhere I reasonably could. The tour took me to Philly, DC, Penn State, Hartford, Albany, State College, and of course, the local shows.

The music was amazing. It was my first E Street Band tour, so everything was new for me. Bruce was pulling out material from the back catalog that he hadn't played in many years and the rarities from Tracks were always fun. Some great songs and great shows stand out in my mind from that tour, but I always remember who I was with, how we got there, where we were sitting, etc. For me, that tour was all about friendships, both new and old.

Whether it was hitting softballs off of The Spectrum after the last night in Philly (first ever Incident for me) with Fresh and the two Dave's, sitting in the 4th row two nights in a row in Atlanta with Marc Schwartz, seeing Andy and Jeff Koko in dark sunglasses sitting in the first few rows at The Garden, too many Long Island Ice Tea's in Albany, the debacle that was the Penn State trip with Noel, Chet and Meatball, Gary Miller flying in from LA for a show in NJ, Hartford for two shows with Ira, or sitting in the first row for the first time with Andy in Philly...they were all great great memories. I also got to go to shows with my sister Sari, my mother and my father on that tour.

So...to my Blood Brothers...so many shows since then...it's been a great ride. Thanks everything. More shows, more miles, and more music to come.

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive" BS

JN

Quick Thoughts

Well, we saw the last of Jack Shephard and Jack Bauer this week with the last episodes of Lost and 24, respectively. Of course, 24 will return on the big screen, but this marks the end of two of my all time favorite shows. We came to them late, but through the magic of Netflix, we were able to catch up on past seasons quickly during the writer's strike and subsequent summer.

While we may see an action show similar to 24 (Fox already tried with Human Target), there will likely never be another show like Lost. Combining strong characters and relationships with science fiction and mythology, Lost had something for everyone, right up until the last scene. The pilot was the most expensive pilot of all time, and while the finale was a bit polarizing, I loved it. For those that haven't seen it, I won't go further, but you should. You can watch it on abc.com (http://abc.go.com/watch/lost/93372) or hulu.com (http://www.hulu.com/lost). Or, you can stream it through Netflix.com also. How f'ing cool is technology???

Well, anyone who follows the show knows that 24 will be back on the big screen with Jack Bauer taking his next adventure to the movie theaters, giving up the 24 hour real time format. Jack is on the run again having once again crossed some lines that shouldn't have been crossed. They set it up perfectly for the next chapter in Jack's amazingly interesting life and I am looking forward to 24...the movie. While some seasons were better than others, the show consistently kept me on the edge of my seat, even if it was predictable at times. If you would like to watch 24, you also find it on hulu.com and Netflix.com.

What do I watch now? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Congrats to Roy "Doc" Halladay on his perfecto. It was just a matter of time.

I loved seeing the Dodgers win a game on a walk-off balk. You won't see that again any time soon.

The play that Mariano Rivera made in the 9th inning of Sunday's game (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-8_9sq-cUE) was one of the all-time great plays in a career of great plays. Stealing a line from Ted Williams and The Natural, if I saw him walking down the street, I would say...there goes the best that ever was...and the best that ever will be.

For the conspiracy theorists out there, how do you like the NBA right now? LeBron has an excuse to leave Cleveland, and the Lakers and Celtics are playing in the finals. Could this have worked out any better for David Stern? The league is doing great, but it would be doing better if the Knicks were relevant.

The new Nets owner, dubbed Mutant Russian Mark Cuban by Bill Simmons, will make the Nets interesting, if nothing else. He guaranteed a championship within five years and said that his goal is a dynasty. I guess this guy didn't get to be a billionaire by aiming low.

RIP to Gary Coleman. "Whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis?" is still a relevant quote to this day.

RIP Dennis Hopper. My vote goes to Hoosiers for his best role, but as pointed out by Brian Fassel, his ads for the NFL a few years ago were pure genius. "Bad things man".

Happy 64th to my father. One more year...I won't even say it.

I've been thinking a bit about what I would like to see Bruce do next. Sessions Band? Another solo project/tour? Nah. I think it's time for something new. Since he will never do a Traveling Wilbury's type project, which would be too cool, but I think his ego might get in the way...how about a guitar-based, straight forward, rock band? Bruce, Nils on guitar, Shawn Pelton on drums, Jeff Kazee on the keys, and Tommy Simms on bass. Theaters the first leg of the tour and then on to arenas once they find their stride. A new album, and an opportunity to reinvent and reinvigorate some of the back catalog. Who's in?

So Avery's new thing is to negotiate everything and after she tells you how she wants things to go, she ends the sentence with "Deal?". For example, yesterday, I told her that it was bath time and then we were going to come downstairs, sing happy birthday to Grampa Philly, and have dessert. Her response was, "No, no, no. Let's sing happy birthday, have dessert, and then have bath time. Deal?". It cracks me up every time.

Finally, I am really looking forward to the Jeremy's Heroes event next week. The outpouring of support for this event is truly special and amazingly appreciated.

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive..."

JN

A Rant on the NCAA

Someone should fix the NCAA. It's obviously broken. March Madness is the best championship system in sports, yet the BCS is the worst. Those debates have been discussed before. What I want to talk about is what's REALLY wrong with the NCAA. Unfortunately, for the purposes of this article, I am simply going to focus on football and men's basketball. I know the other sports exist and I know that football and basketball subsidize the other sports, but it's gone way too far.

Men's basketball and football are goldmines for the NCAA. It's almost a license to print money. Television contracts, corporate sponsors, rich alumni paying big bucks to sit court side...it's a cash cow. Yet none of that money goes to the athletes that we watch, root for, cheer against, etc. They are expected to entertain us in return for a college education. While the cost of the education is probably similar to what a minor league baseball player makes, at least the minor league baseball player has the choice on how to spend it. I think the players should be paid...and not under the table.

The celebrities in college sports are the coaches. Are you kidding me? Have you ever jumped out of your seat because Jim Calhoun made an amazing substitution? Ever gone crazy because Roy Williams drew up a breathtaking inbounds play? No...you cheer for the execution of the play or because the player that was brought in did something amazing. What does the player get? An education? Really? Come on. The coaches, however, get multi-million dollar contracts, backed up by sneaker deals, tv/radio shows, and booster money. These men are paid and paid well.

Because the coaches are the celebrities, not only does it give them a platform to make ridiculous amounts of money, it also encourages them to cheat. Yes...I said it. The system encourages them to cheat. If someone is really good and gets caught, it's a slap on the wrist and on to another school where they can get away with more stuff. A good coach never has to apologize and never has a hard time finding a job. He simply has to recruit well. That's all a coach really has to do well. If he doesn't recruit well, he might lose his job. So, would you rather be a bad coach or a bad team or maybe cheat a little? If you have made your money like Billy Donovan at Florida, maybe you just want to play within the rules. If you want a national championship and have some rich alumnus that will help make it happen...isn't that super tempting?

So aside from the fact that the players don't get paid and the coaches get paid too much and cheat, what are my problems with the NCAA? I just don't think they get it. Here are my suggestions for some quick fixes:

- Pay the players. Figure it out.

- If a coach gets caught cheating, he is out for life. Go get a job in the pros. If his program is found to be dirty, but he is not involved (yeah right), he's on a three strike system. This will force coaches to run a clean problem from top to bottom. How clean would Kentucky be right now if Coach Cal had to run a clean program or be banned for life?

- If a player leaves prior to graduating, he needs to repay the tuition he received. If they simply want to use it as a way station to the pro's, they shouldn't be able to do it for free. This may contradict my first point, but aren't these supposed to be scholar-athletes?

- Fix the BCS. Declare a real champion. It's non-sense.

I rarely watch college sports these days, but still follow the major news. The NCAA is a serious organization with some serious problems. It's constituents (the student) don't have a choice and are the ones getting the short end of the stick. The coaches are the highest paid state employees in many states and surely the highest paid employees on campus.

The NCAA is broken. Can anyone fix it?

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive"

JN